BlackJoy
by Magicwolf360
Summary: It's movie night for Riley and her parents. But what happens when Fear brings the villain Pitch to life in Riley's subconscious? Update: just so you know, I know the title sounds like some kind of weird ship, BUT IT'S NOT. It was literally the first name that came to mind, so yeah just wanted to say that :).
1. Chapter 1

**Tbh, I don't know how I got this idea. I guess I saw Rise of the Guardians and Inside Out recently, and I just... mashed the two together? Either way, all the credit and rights go to their respective owners, Dreamworks and Pixar/Disney. I don't own anything. I REPEAT I DON'T OWN ANYTHING, so no copyright intended :).**

The car was rolling down the road and Riley had fallen asleep. Fear was doing dream duty that night. He swirled the coffee in his mug and shook his head at the dream Dream Productions had spit out.

"Ugh. I can't believe they've made a Unicorn Fairy Adventure part 8. Nice job ruining a perfectly good original."

Fear shook his head in dismay when the dream suddenly ended and the lights in Headquarters flashed on. The other emotions came out with sleepy expressions and all gazed at the monitor. Joy squealed and hugged the others.

"We're here! Oh, I love movie theaters!"

"Yeah, but Mom and Dad won't buy any popcorn... that's sad," Sadness droned. Disgust snorted.

"Eww! Popcorn can ruin our blouse, not to mention is totally unhealthy."

Joy shrugged and hopped to the console, making Riley excited. Fear looked at the others curiously.

"So what are we watching?"

"Something probably stupid," Anger grumbled.

Joy rolled her eyes and punched a few buttons. A memory of the trailer came up and started playing in Riley's mind.

"It's called Rise of the Guardians. It. Looks. Amazing!"

Without waiting for the others to answer, she hopped over to the bin of daydreams. The trailer didn't have much information, so the rest was up to Riley's imagination. All the emotions gathered around the console anxiously as Mom and Dad paid for the tickets and they made their way to the theater. Joy bounced away briefly and pulled over five chairs as the movie began. Everyone was into it, even Sadness was sitting up with wide eyes. Then came Pitch. Fear shrank at the villain's first scene. He pulled a lever on the console. Riley's grip on her mother tightened, making the other emotions groan.

"Seriously! Can't we go through one movie without Riley being scared of something?" Disgust spat.

But Fear wasn't answering. He was staring at the screen, his hand actually resting on the button. Joy looked to see several purple balls being created. She giggled nervously and gently led Fear away from the console. His feet moved, but his eyes were vacant... strange. Sadness looked at Joy worriedly. A part of Joy wanted to be able to say why Fear was being like this. She kept drawing a blank. Instead, they all settled down and watched the rest of the movie, not aware of a shadow slithering on the floor behind them.

* * *

Joy stretched as she rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. After the incident with Fear, she had given him the rest of dream duty off. The Train of Thought came rumbling in to deliver its daily load. Joy walked over to the pile, inspecting all the thoughts. _Weird_... Riley's opinions about horses had changed. Sure, she still liked them, but now there a hint of fear to them. The emotion bit her lip and looked up to see Sadness trudging down the stairs. She did her best to smile brightly, but Sadness could tell something was wrong.

"Joy? What happened?"

"You think something happened? _No_ , no. Well, um... nothing much... just a change of Riley's opinion."

"Should we visit the opinion machine?"

Joy hesitated. Ever since she and Sadness had gotten lost, a new safety elevator and bridge had been added. None of the emotions had tested it though...

"But... Riley needs to be happy."

"Don't worry. If anything happens, we have the bridge and elevator."

Joy considered this, eventually nodding. She slipped out of headquarters and into the new elevator. A path had been carved around long-term memory. Joy raced down this new path. Branches broke off in certain directions, like Imagination Land and Dream Productions. As she passed the Dream Productions path, a guard held up his hand. The emotion skittered to a stop and gave him a questioning look. The guard cleared his throat.

"Ma'am, have you seen a shadow?"

"Shadow?"

"Yes. It was slinking around Dream Productions. Not only did it try getting onto the set, but it escaped and has avoided the entire force."

Joy shivered and nodded, saying she'd be careful. Walking past the guard, she started running again. This time however, she passed the road that led to the opinion machine. Instead, she jogged to a small and curvy path that looked rarely used. She pushed down the lump in her throat as she crept forward quietly. Up ahead was a staircase that led to the subconscious. As she neared, the corner of her eye caught something darting the other way. How had she not thought of it before? The only way to change an opinion was for a new addition in the subconscious. A shadow on the wall next to her lengthened, growing in size until it actually came off the wall. The guards at the doors of Subconscious held up their clubs. The figure simply waved his hand, and the guards' eyes widened and they froze in complete terror. He turned back to face Joy and she gasped.

"You? You made your way to Subconscious?"

Pitch sidestepped, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Yes... I suppose I did. And who are you?"

"I-I'm the Joy in Riley's brain."

"Riley?"

Joy blinked, confused. All the others fears knew they were in Riley's mind. Why didn't he? Pitch gave Joy an innocent smile and bowed deeply.

"Please. Would you be so kind as to tell me all about this _Riley_?"

"O-Okay. This is Riley's mind. You are a subconscious fear of Riley's. I am Joy, the thing that makes Riley happy. So... that's basically all the information you need to know."

"Can you take me to that control center?"

Joy didn't even try to hide her surprise. Pitch smiled triumphantly and stood straighter. The emotion wanted to help him, to answer his questions, but... she couldn't. The only others who had been in HQ where the mindworkers building upgrades. Besides, how would Fear react when he saw the Boogeyman? Just as Joy was about to deny him, he held up a hand that commanded silence.

"It's okay. I can find my way to Headquarters on my own. And when I do, I will rule Riley's mind."

Joy was about to protest, but he had already disappeared into a shadow and was shooting along the ground. Joy ran forward anxiously. Up ahead, he was already crossing the bridge. _No, no, no_! He crossed it easily, and slithered up the wall, not even bothering to take the elevator. In Headquarters, Sadness was driving. Riley was reading a book called Marley and Me, and Joy wasn't really being missed at that moment. Fear shivered, sensing something. Disgust noticed him and scoffed.

"Great. What's got you all riled up now?"

"There's something here."

They all paused to stare at Fear. With each passing second, he got even more agitated. Finally, he snapped, sobbing and crawling up into a little ball. Sadness looked around and screamed at the intruder. Pitch was standing in the shadows watching them. He came out and smirked, golden eyes shining.

"What do we have here? A control panel? I've always wanted to drive at one."

"Yeah, punk? You're gonna have to get past _me_!" Anger screamed.

Pitch laughed, and stepped forward menacingly. Anger walked in front of the others, the top of his head sizzling. Just before he was going to explode, Joy ran in from the elevator. Everyone turned to the incoming emotion, who had her hand up defensively again Pitch.

"Stop. Can't we just talk?"

The Nightmare King scanned her over. She was brave and had good intentions, but not always did the right thing. She reminded him of someone... Pitch cleared his throat and took a step towards Joy. The others tensed, ready to attack if he tried anything.

"Why do you care about Riley so much? Do you know how many nightmares I've given? I'm beyond caring for one child."

"You should care. If anything happens to her, it happens to us. You're part of her now, and there's no way to go around that."

Pitch glanced between Joy and the other emotions. His stomach did a turn as he realized they were right. But what would happen to him? Almost as if sensing his question, Joy smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry. We'll find a place for you."

The boogeyman turned to her in surprise. His gaze softened slightly, but quickly got hard again.

"I won't spend my days just being in Riley's mind. I want more, I'm tired of hiding under beds... and I refuse to hide in her mind!"

He shot forward so quickly that the other emotions didn't have time to process. Pitch lunged at Joy, arms outstretched. His finger grazed the side of her face before his eyes widened in shock. He was hovering in mid-air, trapped in a beam of light. Fear was behind him with a strange looking container. Pitch grasped at the air as the light slowly sucked him in. Joy blinked and touched her cheek tentatively. A wince escaped her, making the others rush over quickly. After a quick examination, it was deemed that she was fine. Fear held up the container with a confused expression.

"What do we do with him? There's no way Subconscious can hold a shadow."

"I say we just leave him in there," Disgust suggested. Sadness shook her head.

"I read the manual. That little container of light won't be like that forever. Once it runs out of power, he'll be free again."

Joy's eyes lit up with an idea. The group turned to her expectantly.

"What if we took him to the Daydream Factory? They have equipment over there that can hold and contain thoughts. Pitch is a thought, isn't he?"

"What if Riley starts having daydreams of Pitch? That's the last thing we need."

Joy's smile faded a bit.

"But there isn't any other way. And I don't believe in throwing him into the abyss."

Before they could continue, the lights around them dimmed. Riley was sleeping.

"Why is she sleeping?" Fear squeaked.

The emotions rushed up to the console, but couldn't figure out the problem. Joy gulped, unsure what to do. She grabbed the container from Fear and gripped it firmly.

"I'm going to take this to the mindworkers. Maybe they'll know what to do with it."

"Hurry, Joy. We still don't know why she's sleeping."

Joy gave a curt nod and scampered out of Headquarters. She stepped outside to see that the sky was red... it had never been like that before. Her heart pounded loudly as she began running. This couldn't be a coincidence, this had to do something with Pitch.


	2. The daydream factory

**BEFORE YOU READ-Hey people, chapter 2! Just want to say that I'll try to explain it the best I can, but the plot is kind of tied into the Rise of the Guardians book series. If you have any trouble catching onto what's happening, just send me a message and I'll explain in more detail what happened in the actual books. Okay, enjoy!**

As Joy raced down the bridge, she noticed other mindworkers looking around in confusion. When she reached one, she held out the container.

"Can you help me? I need this transported to the Daydream factory."

The mindworker looked at the container, then to Joy, and back at the container.

"Something new's happening. Protocol says all mindworkers are to report to their stations and stand at ready."

Joy groaned, trying to think of what to do. If that was going to be all of their responses... a sigh escaped her. Riley was sleeping. She still had time to get to the factory and back to HQ. Mindworkers bumped into her as they scrambled to get to their proper work stations. Joy ran along the path, clutching the container tightly. After what seemed like forever, the Daydream factory loomed up ahead. Even with all the threats of danger, Joy couldn't help getting a _little_ excited. White, puffy clouds were being thrown up into the air up above, and wacky sounds were vibrating out. Next to the factory was a station for the Train of Thought. _Perfect, an easy way to get to HQ_! Large rainbow colored doors opened to reveal an entire assortment of fantasies. Strange creatures flew around on one side, and mindworkers busy typing lined the other side. Joy curiously looked over their shoulders to see that they were writing stories of Riley doing all different kinds of things, from climbing a mountain, to meeting her favorite TV characters in real life.

Up ahead was a conveyor where the stories were inserted and converted to little mini movies. Joy watched with wide eyes as the daydreams were stored in little capsules and were placed into a box for the next Train of Thought. A mindworker reading off a chart looked up at Joy.

"Hey, you're from HQ, aren't you? What brings you down to this neck of the woods?"

"A subconscious fear. I was wondering if you could store it into a daydream capsule and keep it safe."

The mindworker scratched his head.

"I'm not sure if that will work, but we could try. He'll have to be converted to match the specifications required for storing in a capsule. And he can't be in that container during the conversion."

Joy inhaled sharply. What would happen? A giggle came from her chest, a nervous habit. Every fiber telling her no, she handed the mindworker the container. Smiling, he gently took Joy's hand and led her to another room in the back of the factory.

"Here. We'll let him free in here and start the conversion process immediately."

Joy nodded and smiled. It was going to be okay. _This is going to be easy_. The mindworker quickly placed the container on the far side of the room. He hit a button and ran out quickly as Pitch was freed. Pitch gasped, grasping at his throat for air. Before he had a chance to escape, the door was slammed shut. Looking up, his golden eyes met Joy's. He stumbled forward and growled. As he moved, his image began breaking up. One second it was clear, the next, he was just a jumble of colors.

Joy hopped towards the daydream machine to see that it was whirring up, but the conversion process was slow. It had already been twenty seconds, and it was only at 2%. Just as she was about to go check on the Boogeyman, a bunch of murmuring came from outside. Joy crept forward and looked up at the sky. The red color was gone, replaced by beautiful, streaming, golden sand. She blinked in confusion and scurried back to Pitch. His teeth were gritted as he struggled not to be converted.

"I demand to be freed at once."

"I'm sorry, I can't. This is for Riley's own good."

His eyes widened in fear. Joy's eyebrow rose. Was it genuine?

"At least let me see my daughter."

"Daughter? What daughter?" Joy asked suddenly.

There was no daughter in the movies! Joy took a step back as Pitch advanced to the door. There was a round window which he drummed his fingers on.

"What daughter? My daughter, Emily-Jane. Who else would I be talking about?" He yelled out.

Joy's brow furrowed. Looking at the mindworker, he shrugged. The emotion put a finger on her chin in thought. She whipped around quickly and put both hands on the mindworkers' shoulders.

"Can you pause the conversion process?"

"Yes, but why?"

"Because Emily-Jane wasn't in the movie. Pitch should only know what Riley knows... and Riley doesn't know an Emily-Jane."


	3. Katherine

**Wow, chapter 3! Again, I'm kind of diving into the books instead of the movie, so sorry about that. It was the only way for the story to make sense. Without further ado, I give you my third chapter!**

Pitch looked around in confusion as his image wavered and stabilized. Turning to the window, he saw Joy staring at him with wider eyes than usual... if that was even possible. He straightened himself and stalked over to the window, narrowing his eyes.

"Why did you spare me?"

Joy's eyes darted to the ground as she cringed.

"Well... I didn't exactly spare you. You see, I kind of need information."

Pitch scoffed and moved away from the window.

"And what makes you think I'd be willing to talk?" He sneered.

"I was hoping you'd realize that you need Riley as much as we do. Without her, you don't exist. Please, there's got to be some good in there."

The boogeyman reared back his head and laughed. He shook his head in disbelief, gasping to catch his breath. Joy shifted her weight and bit her lip.

"You _really_ think I have some good in me? Boy, are you mistaken," without warning, the lights in the daydream flickered.

The two looked around in confusion. Joy shot Pitch another look, just to see that he was maybe even more surprised than her. Pitch returned her look. He tried not to let any weakness show, but he knew Joy could see his confusion. Without a word to him, Joy took a step back and raced out of the Daydream factory. The golden sand was dissipating into the air, revealing a normal blue sky. The Train of Thought blew out steam as it creaked forward. Joy leaped up and landed in the back as the train zoomed ahead. The trip only took a couple of minutes, but it felt like an eternity. When she finally reached Headquarters, she tumbled into the facts and opinions chute. The other emotions looked up and gasped in relief. They all scrambled to her, pulling Joy to her feet. Wordlessly, they pointed to the monitor. Riley's vision was blurry, but was slowly clearing. Joy crept forward and inhaled.

"Whoa."

All around Riley were toys and little creatures. The little creatures were wearing red suits and transporting a plate of cookies to a bedside table. Disgust scoffed and moved in for the controls.

"Ugh! What _are_ those things? I think I saw one take a bite out of the cookies!"

"Nice job prioritizing," Anger said, throwing his hands in the air.

"Hey, my job is to make sure Riley isn't poisoned. And what do you do?"

The top of Anger's head started sizzling, but Joy stepped between them. They looked at her and huffed, calming down. Joy turned to Fear and nodded. Obediently, he pulled a couple of levers and pushed some buttons. In response, Riley yelped and scrambled as far away from the creatures as she could get, until her back was against a wall. The creatures noticed her and one pointed the other one to the door. He ran out of the room while the other smiled at the girl. Riley was now breathing heavily. It took a step towards her, prompting Disgust to throw a throttle. Riley grabbed a lamp on the bedside table and held it out as a weapon.

"Oh good, you are awake," a Russian voice boomed.

Through the door came a large guy. North smiled down at Riley and nodded a greeting. Riley rubbed her eyes and whimpered.

"Who are you?"

"The name is North. Everyone knows me as Santa Clause."

All the emotions straightened with raised eyebrows.

"Um... anyone have any ideas?"

"I say we call for denial," Anger began.

Joy nodded, and Anger pushed a button. Riley scowled and got up.

"You really expect me to believe that? Santa Clause isn't real. And even if he was, what would he want with me?"

Riley paused when she noticed the sad expression on his face. The door opened again and a younger boy with snow white hair came bounding in. He examined Riley and looked at North.

"Are you sure it's her? I thought you said Katherine believed."

"My name isn't Katherine. It's Riley."

The boy looked at her again and smirked.

"Alright then. Hi, Riley. I'm Jack Frost, but everyone just calls me Jack. You have me to thank for all those snow days," at North's pointed glare, the spirit laughed, "just trying to get some credit for all my work."

"Jack Frost? No way... no, no, no, no. You are not Jack Frost and you are not Santa. This is a dream, or at least a hallucination."

Fear looked at Joy worriedly, "but this isn't a dream." Joy pulled at her hair, not knowing what to do. Another figure came into the room, a small golden man with wild hair. It only took Joy a few seconds to process the golden sand that dripped off the figure whenever he moved.

"That golden sand was in the sky!" Joy gasped to the others. She pulled a lever, making Riley smile.

"Hey, I know you! I don't know from where, but you seem familiar."

North looked at Sandy and nodded satisfactorily.

"You remember Sandy? Good. He is the one who rescued you."

"Rescued me?" Riley asked in disbelief. North nodded gravely.

"Yes. You're a target for Pitch. You see, I'm going to tell you a little story. Long, long ago, there was a girl named Katherine. She was around before we were even Guardians! She became close with a spirit named Nightlight. Nightlight was a fun boy with a glowing staff. At the top of his staff was a crystal dagger said to hold a moonbeam. We have recently weakened Pitch, but he's searching for the dagger. We think his goal is to turn the moonbeam over to his side and make it do his bidding. With a moonbeam on his side, he will be one hundred times stronger than the last time we fought him. Nightlight only had one confidant as to the location of the staff, and that was Katherine. We believe that you are the reincarnation of Katherine, and somewhere deep down, you know the location of the dagger."


	4. The encounter

**Okay, now the only real thing from the movies is Jack Frost lol. Either way, I think the story's going well and I hope you like it too :)**

The emotions grappled at all the controls rapidly.

"This isn't happening!"

"Our normal lives are over!"

"I want to go home!"

Joy looked between the four and racked her brain for a way to bring the peace. Riley was hyperventilating and staring at North indignantly. Jack shot North a glare and shook his head, seeming disappointed.

"What is wrong with you? That kind of sentence can't be just blurted out! Do you _want_ her to hate us?"

North threw up his hands in surrender and winced as Anger took full throttle over the others. Riley stormed up to him and crossed her arms.

"Even if I were who you claim, this isn't fair. I was getting my life together in San Fransisco. Go away, I don't want to be in this freaky, messed up place."

North looked to Jack, who just gave a small nod. Pursing his lips, he gave a small bow to Riley and moved out of the room. Sandy followed quietly, but Jack stayed for a few more seconds.

"I know they don't look like a lot, but trust me, they're great. Try to get some sleep... Pitch can't give you any nightmares here."

After he left, the emotions disputed over what to do. Go to sleep? Not go to sleep? Joy eventually stepped in like usual.

"I think she should go to sleep. It would give me a chance to talk to our Pitch."

They all nodded reluctantly. Joy scampered out of Headquarters and down to the daydream factory. Pitch was still in the room, examining the walls, trying to find a way out. When he saw Joy, he rolled his eyes.

"Great. What do you want?"

"You need to tell me what's going on."

* * *

Fear got up and moved towards the box of light-bulb ideas. The others came around curiously as he rummaged through big and small ideas... until he picked up one with a shaky hand. Disgust inhaled sharply.

"We promised to never use that one again."

"But the islands are running, and core memories are safe. We need to get away from all this, it's too scary."

Sadness moaned and shook her head.

"I don't know... it didn't work last time."

"I say we try it. For once, I agree with the pipsqueak," Anger concluded.

The three looked at Disgust. Her gaze flickered to the ground as she gave a small nod. Fear's hand trembled even more as he carried the idea to the panel and inserted it. It slid in smoothly, and Riley woke up.

* * *

Riley crashed through the snow into a forest of evergreen trees. They surrounded her with their tall, dark trunks, confusing her. She pushed on until a frozen lake came into view. On the other side was the frozen tundra, but she thought she could make out the outline of a research station on the horizon. Her foot stepped cautiously onto the ice when a cold voice made her whip around, almost losing her balance.

"Katherine. How good it is to see you again."

The shadows twisted together into the Nightmare King. Spiky feathers covered his robe as he strolled casually out into the open. Dark horses sprung up from the ground, forming a circle around Riley. Her gaze darted back and forth from the animals to Pitch. In her mind, the emotions gazed around as alarms started sounding.

"The alarms! What do we do?"

"Listen to the alarms in her head! Stay cautious!"

Joy, still in the Daydream factory, noticed that the sky had become blue. _Why did they wake her up_? She took a step back as alarms started shrieking all throughout Riley's mind. _Oh no_... In Headquarters, Anger pushed a button, making Riley's chest swell.

"I'm not afraid of you," she lied. Pitch laughed.

"Oh, but of course you are. Everyone fears me. You know, I tried to make Katherine a Fearling princess once, but a treaty prevented me. Now that you're not you anymore, I don't see why I can't follow out that plan. Because, you see, her memories will always be alive in you. And I will always be in her memories. I think it's time you remembered."

Disgust's head shot up.

"The memory vault is opening!"

The vault was where memories that were pushed away were stored. They ran to the window and dropped their jaws as memories came shooting up into the air. There were all different kinds of memories, ranging from happy to scared. Almost as if they had a mind of their own, they all shot towards Headquarters at once. The emotions screamed and ran back to the control panel frantically. Joy was about to run out of the factory when Pitch gave out a cold laugh. The emotion turned in surprise to see the boogeyman growing quickly. The hinges on the doors buckled and snapped off. Cracks shot up the walls as he tore straight through the wall. He looked down at Joy with a menacing smile, and the realization hit her.

"You're not a subconscious fear... you're an escaped memory!"

"Finally! I thought I'd have to spell it out for you," he laughed.

Joy took another step back and tripped.

* * *

Memories shattered through the windows at Headquarters. Anger flew towards the projector and tried to keep the memories away. Outside her mind, the horses could smell her fear and were starting to come closer. Riley gasped and looked around frantically for a way to escape. Pitch cleared his throat steadily and sighed, sounding bored.

"I _could_ always just take you back to your perfect little home, I just need to know where the moonbeam is."

Anger's eyes scanned the memories going by, but he couldn't see the moonbeam. Sadness pulled at her hair and pulled a lever. Riley felt a lump in her throat as she shook her head.

"I don't remember."

"Fine," he turned to his horses, "capture her. We'll wait it out, she's got to remember something."

They whinnied and advanced menacingly. Riley's eyes squeezed shut and she crouched, waiting.


	5. Descisions

The attack never came. Riley's eyes fluttered open softly to see Jack standing between her and Pitch defensively. The Nightmares that had surrounded them were frozen in a thick coat of ice. Jack held the staff up high and growled softly.

"Leave. You know you can't beat me."

Pitch blinked in surprise, but it only lasted a moment. The calculating coldness returned to his eyes as he cocked his head and smiled.

"So now they've made you the babysitter? How typical."

Jack began to protest when Pitch cut him off, "the other guardians are out searching. They're scouring the globe, looking in every nook and corner, while you're here as the babysitter. It's not fair, is it? After all, you've already proven yourself as a guardian. What else could you possibly need to do to gain their trust?"

Jack gripped his head and tried to push the boogeyman's words out. Riley's eyes flickered between the two of them as she curled up, trying to make herself invisible.

* * *

In the Daydream factory, Joy held up her hand defensively. The memory laughed, tendrils of darkness shooting out. Joy screamed as it shot for her... and they both shrieked at the same time. Pitch was blown away and landed in a heap. The tentacle had turned to light and had burnt his hands. Joy wobbled to her feet and breathed in. Her light had burnt him... His face whipped up furiously, eyes blazing.

"You can't hurt me... my glow."

The corners of his lips curled up.

"Think again."

Without saying anything else, he dove into a shadow and disappeared. Joy looked down at her arm and jumped in surprise. Standing out among the light was a spot of darkness.

* * *

Pitch paced around Jack and Riley slowly. Fear was at full helm punching buttons at will. Every once in a while, they ducked when a memory came shooting at them. When they heard the Nightmare King speak again, they all looked up anxiously.

"Very well, Frost. Be the good little babysitter," he turned to Riley, "Although I think we should let Katherine decide. If you come willingly, you could go home, never have another Nightmare for as long as you live. If you wished, I could even erase your memory of this entire encounter... give you back your old life."

All the emotions started murmuring. But Anger's head started sizzling as he threw a lever. Riley's eyes became intense as she spoke through gritted teeth.

"No thanks. Not interested."

Pitch sighed in disappointment. The Nightmares cracked out of their ice, shaking their manes.

"I believe you have made a grave mistake, Katherine. I look forward to our next meeting."

The Nightmares whinnied and followed their master as he gave a dramatic bow and stepped back into the darkness. Riley looked up at her savior curiously.

"If those creatures could just do that, then why bother leaving?"

"I guess you could say I'm a pretty worthy opponent... I did take him on when he was at full power."

The alarms were still going off. Fear shook his head. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

"Hey, how did you find me?" Riley asked suddenly. Jack chuckled.

"Do you even know who you're talking to? Trust me, I've had my fair share of sneaking in and out of places. So tell me about yourself."

Anger pushed a button, making Riley's brows furrow.

"Are you sure you want to talk to me? Not to _Katherine?_ "

"Hey, relax. I didn't even know Katherine. To me, you're just a kid in danger from my enemy... so do you want to do something? It's a nice day, wouldn't want to waste it inside."

Riley was about to deny, when she hesitated. The emotions had turned and stared as Joy came stumbling through the elevator doors. She rushed up to the console and tried to smile.

"Hockey anyone?"

But they weren't paying attention. Their eyes were staring at the dark spot on her arm... which had grown. Joy shifted and chuckled nervously, punching a few buttons. Riley smirked and shrugged.

"I don't know. Do you know how to play hockey?" Riley asked mischievously.

"Seriously? I live for hockey!"

"Then I hope your defeat won't be too crushing."

Jack nodded and smiled as Riley strolled ahead. He paused for a second, putting his face up to the wind. Plain and simple, he had lied to her. Pitch _had_ given up way too easily. His grip on his staff tightened instinctively. There was something he couldn't explain... with another glance around, he went to go join Riley. She was already on the ice and giggled.

"Okay, so where are we going to get hockey sticks?"

"We'll just have to run back to the workshop quickly."

It would've been easier to just fly there, but no way he was leaving Riley. That would be stupid. She nodded understandingly and waited for him as they began trekking back. Standing on a large branch of a tree, Pitch was staring down at them. His eyes closed as he focused his mind, a chuckle rising up his chest.

"Oh, poor child. You've already lost and you don't even know it yet."


	6. The visit

After they sneaked out two hockey sticks and a puck from the workshop, they traveled down to the lake. Jack looked at the ice warily and bit his lip.

"Stay here. I'm just going to go make sure it's strong enough."

Riley raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him. Disgust groaned and crossed her arms.

"Ugh, what's wrong with him? Doesn't he see we've had a long day? Why can't we just play?"

Joy chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Patience. It's sweet that's he's checking for safety. I think Fear would agree."

Fear gave a meek nod and turned up to the monitor. Jack looked scared but he reluctantly beckoned Riley to the ice. When she stepped on and nothing happened, he sighed in relief. Regaining his fun face, he he held up the hockey stick.

"You ready?" He asked tauntingly. Riley giggled.

"You're talking to the Varsity Hockey team's star player."

"Varsity? What the heck is that?"

Instead of answering, she used his moment of confusion to shoot the puck into a goal of sticks they had made. Jack whipped around in surprise and smiled. For a while, the emotions cheered Joy on as they shot the puck into the goal too many times to count. Their opponent groaned and shook his head as he flailed. Riley easily swept the puck away, circling gracefully on the ice until she heard a cracking sound. She froze, looking down and winced at the spider-web cracks. Fear pressed a button, but joy held him back. They needed to stay calm... stay focused. Jack looked over and gasped, running a hand through his hair. In his head, all the emotions were screaming the same thing. _This is just like my sister! But what if I can't save Riley_?

"Jack, is there anything you can do?"

"Um... hold on Riley, I might be able to make the ice thicker."

Riley gave a small nod and held her breath as the boy gently tapped the ice with his staff. It started working, all the ice on the lake hardened... but it actually curved around Riley, forming a circle of still-cracking ice. At this point, Fear started pulling on his hair, hands shaking.

"Jack? Why didn't it work?"

"I-I don't know."

He lifted up into the air and circled above the girl's head. Lowering down, she took his hands, and he tried to pull her up. But her boots were stuck. It was like she was glued down. Jack started to tremble as he crossed over his mind what to do. Just as he thought he was going to lose it, a figure stepped through the trees. She had raven black hair and chocolate brown eyes. A long green dress wrapped around her body and billowed whenever she moved. Jack looked at the woman in confusion.

"Who are you?" Riley and Jack asked at the same time.

She didn't answer, but just stared at Riley. Walking up to her, she knelt down and bit her lip.

"So it is true. Katherine has returned."

"What do you know about Katherine?" Jack demanded. Her face hardened as she gazed at the spirit.

"That is not your concern, Spirit," she turned back to Riley, "do not worry, the ice will harden soon enough. I came to deliver something... call it a present."

Riley stared at her as she held out a seed. Taking Riley's hand, she placed the seed in her palm and closed her fingers around it.

"I'm going to be straight with you. My name is Emily-Jane, but to you, I am Mother Nature. Consider this an apology for my father's behavior."

"Pitch? _He's_ your dad?"

"Yes. But that's not why I came. Even though I didn't know Katherine too well, I saved her from becoming the Fearling princess. I don't know if you'll ever need it, but this seed is very important. In the time of great need, you must squeeze it while experiencing a happy thought."

Riley was about to ask more questions when Emily-Jane stood up. She rose her eyebrow at Jack.

"Until we meet again, Winter... when you freeze my plants."

Jack blushed, his pale cheeks almost looking normal. Nature walked off the lake. The farther she got, the firmer the ice underneath Riley's feet became. Soon, she was able to move around again. She stared down at the seed in her hand with a wrinkled eyebrow. Jack knelt down and examined the seed, eventually looking back up at the girl.

"I think it's time to get back to the workshop..."

Sadness pressed a button, but Joy covered it up with a fake smile. Riley shrugged, trying not to let her disappointment show.

"Yeah, sure. When am I going home? My parents are going to be really worried."

Jack bit his lip, which made Riley raise her eyebrow. She gave him an intense stare until he finally cracked.

"Okay, okay. To protect them from Pitch... Sandy might've put them under a really deep sleep."

"What? How long have they been sleeping? How long _will_ they be sleeping? They have lives you know!"

Jack just gave an apologetic shrug. Riley scowled and rolled her eyes as he began leading her back to the workshop. Anger was riled up, his head steaming. Joy quickly moved towards him and tried giving him a hug.

"Oh, come on! Things could be worse! At least Mom and Dad are safe."

Anger was about to open his mouth when he paused. The other emotions followed his gaze and Sadness shook her head sadly.

"Joy... your arm's getting worse."

Joy looked to see that almost her entire arm was shimmering black. She gently touched it and shook her head in confusion. But she had to stay focused. Riley needed her... now more than ever.


	7. Captured

The minute they got into the workshop, they were bombarded with worried yetis and elves. Jack tried to calm them down, while Riley ducked through the crowd towards the center of the shop. Towards the globe. She stared up at it with wide eyes until something flew around it. She squinted and smiled Toothiana came gliding in. Tooth smiled at the girl, but gave a hard look to Jack when Riley turned around. _What_? Jack's eyes asked.

 _You know why I'm angry_ , she seemed to think, _we almost lost her_!

Jack rolled his eyes and bounced forward, next to Riley. Suddenly, the ground shook as a large rabbit, North, and Sandy came out of a hole. All the emotions were gaping at the legends silently. Bunny gazed at Riley and shook his head.

"Crikey, you look just like Katherine! It's good to see you again, mate."

He outstretched his paw for her to shake, but she just stared at it. Bunny gently lowered his paw sadly, and tried to smile.

"That's all right. You'll get that old noggin working in no time! I believe you've met North and Sandy. That's Tooth over there, and I'm Bunnymund. But all my friends call me Bunny."

"Yeah, Bunny might look kind of tough, but he's a big softy," Jack taunted.

"I said my friends call me Bunny," he said with a teasing smile.

The winter spirit scoffed, making Riley giggle. The emotions looked at Joy.

"Are you sure this is the right time to be happy?"

"Yeah, sure, why not? They're hilarious together!"

North stepped forward, silencing everyone. He knelt down to Riley and gently took her hand.

"I know we've been treating you like Katherine, and it's not fair, but we _need_ you to remember. The children of the world need you to remember."

"Seriously? Gee, no pressure! I don't know what you're looking for. I may have been some amazing Guardian in another life, but I'm not her anymore. I just want to go home."

North nodded understandingly.

"We cannot take you there tonight or tomorrow for that matter. Pitch can easily get to you if you're not here... he almost got to you today! Please, stay here until it is safe."

Riley searched North's face. The emotions were in turmoil. Trust him? Don't trust him? They looked up to Joy for the deciding vote. When she said to trust him, half of them groaned.

"Just like Joy. Always sees the best."

That night, Riley lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. The emotions weren't ready to take the night off. How could they? Jack checked in every once in a while, but Riley just pretended that she was sleeping. At some point, she rolled over and started fiddling with a piece of string until a sudden chill filled the room. Fear seemed to sense something the other emotions couldn't. Riley shot up in her bed, eyes darting around the darkness. It was probably nothing... she was totally safe.

"Those Guardians _really_ need to reassess their security," a voice called out.

Riley's head darted up to some high beams on the ceiling. Pitch was leaning against one casually, yawning and sounding bored. She was about to call out for Jack when Pitch began to speak.

"It's really not fair to you. They take you away from your home... your family, and they dare to call you safe?"

"Look, I can't help you. I've already told you that. I'm Riley, not Katherine."

"You might not think you're Katherine, but you are. In everything you do, everything you say, there are little hints that she is indeed still inside. All I want is to unlock your memory, see where the moonbeam is, and then you can go home."

"Please. You really expect me to believe you'd just let me go? I've seen your type on TV way too many times, you'll just betray me."

"Think of my promise as a thank you. A long time ago, Katherine saved my life. Sure, she might've also been saving the Guardians' humanity, but it was still my life she saved. This is the only time I will ever try to repay a debt, I suggest you take advantage of it."

Riley stared at him for a long time. Before she could say anything, Jack blasted through the door, holding his staff. Pitch gasped and shot towards Riley. The minute he grabbed her, they both melted into the shadows... slithering off. Jack yelled out and went after the shadows, jumping nimbly on the rocks and trees. The shadow crawled into a hole and disappeared.

"Oh my gosh! We're Pitch's prisoner!" Fear screamed hysterically.

His fear rubbed off on the others, making them pull their hair worriedly. Outside, Riley had landed on the floor of Pitch's lair. All around her were the empty tooth fairy cages and halls that stretched on forever. Pitch appeared next to her, making Riley jump back a few feet.

"Stop denying it! You have darkness in your mind," he roared, "I sensed it back on the lake."

"Darkness? I don't have a dark mind _or_ heart! Just leave me alone!"

"Do I really need to prove it to you?" He sneered.

Before Riley could protest, he pressed a finger against her head. In Headquarters, the emotions were looking around for any change. And then, Joy's arm raised with a mind of its own. She yelped as the black parts of her arm twisted and writhed, eventually settling back down. Riley must've felt it, because her mouth gaped open silently. She pressed a small hand to her forehead, almost in a trance.

"I-I felt something."

Pitch pressed his finger against her forehead again. Suddenly, a shadow crept through Headquarters. The emotions turned in surprise as the escaped memory swirled into form. His hand was still burnt, but he raised anyway and pointed to Joy.

"Bring me the memory of the moonbeam."

Disgust snorted.

"Is that it? You think we're really going to-"

"Disgust..."

She turned to see that Fear was pointing at Joy. Her eyes had grown wider than usual, and she walked forward, almost in a trance. The darkness on her arm seemed to bubble with excitement. Pitch's mouth curled into a smile.

"Fetch the memory," he repeated.

"Yes, Master."


	8. Inside the mind

**Hey guys. K, so I love having Pitch as a villain, but while reading his background, I have to say, I kind of feel sorry for him. So, this is a little bit of a weird chapter, but I hope you all enjoy it :).**

Joy stumbled forward on uneasy legs towards the swirling memories. The emotions rushed forward anxiously, about to call out. Pitch simply raised a wall between them and focused his attention back on Joy.

"You're the lead emotion. Find the memory."

Joy nodded absently. Her dark arm stretched out and paused. The orbs didn't stop moving, they just went into slow motion. One floated down gently and rested in her hands. She held the memory, a purple, blue, and yellow ball. The image was a skinny boy with a glowing staff. He gently placed it down and smiled. _Nightlight_. Pitch stared at the memory and chuckled as the emotion turned to hand over the memory.

"Joy! Don't! This isn't you!" Fear cried out.

"Stop! Listen to me!" Anger screamed.

"You're hurting Riley..." Sadness said in a quieter voice.

Joy blinked and looked at the memory. Something about Sadness' words... She hesitated, beginning to pull back. Pitch's eyes widened and he looked at her in confusion.

"What are you doing? Give me the memory!"

The darkness on her arm pulled her towards Pitch. Suddenly, her mind snapped into place, and she drew back as much as she could.

"No! I won't hurt Riley!"

"It. _Won't_. Matter. I'm getting that memory one way or another!"

He shot out, hands extended. Joy cried out as he grabbed the memory and laughed, but she didn't let go.

"If you want this memory, you'll have to go through me!"

"Fine by me."

The air picked up around them, swirling into a large cloud. Joy gasped as she and Pitch were sucked out of Riley's mind.

* * *

Riley's eyes shot open in surprise as she pulled back quickly. Pitch held his forehead as he saw the memory. Smiling, he waved a hand dismissively and looked at his nightmares.

"Turn her into the Fearling Princess. I got what I wanted."

"Fearling Princess? You said I could go home!"

He whirled on her, his face a mix of fury and rage.

"I said you could go home if you gave me the memory willingly. You struggled, therefore discontinuing my offer."

Riley blinked and took a step back as the Nightmares advanced dangerously. She back up until she touched one. Suddenly, dark shapes shot through Headquarters. The emotions started pressing buttons rapidly, until Anger punched a big red button labeled Do Not Press. Riley pushed the Nightmare away and screamed in rage, charging at the creature. It disappeared, leaving Pitch staring at her with an amused face.

"No wonder you'd make the perfect Fearling Princess."

"You can't _make_ me. I will never bow or listen to you."

Pitch shrugged and chuckled again.

"My Nightmares seem to think differently."

The emotions looked around in confusion at the swirling creatures in Headquarters.

* * *

Joy's eyes fluttered open to complete darkness. She sat up quickly and looked around. No... not darkness. Black, swirling creatures. Her eyes turned up to see a monitor and a console. Before she could even react, a yellow tinted Pitch smiled brightly.

"We have the memory! We're going to win! Oh what a glorious day!"

A green tinted Pitch rolled his eyes.

"You pathetic weakness, you disgust me."

"Silence! We're too close for any of you worthless emotions to be messing it up," a red tinted one growled.

Joy's eyebrow rose quizzically. _What the-_ Before she could react, a blue one dropped down next to her. She stared at him, expecting him to taunt her, but he just offered his hand. She took it and he helped her to his feet, causing a roar of fury from Anger.

"You _helped_ her up?"

"Ugh, you're the reason Pitch doesn't win."

"Oh, come on, guys! That's not true. There's the other one."

 _Other one_? Joy followed their gaze to see Fear standing off in a corner. Every time he made a move to the console, Anger chased him away. He moved to Sadness' side, and they both stared at her.

"We apologize-"

"For their behavior."

"Um... why are you talking in unison?"

"Pitch's fear and sadness are so closely related-"

"that we have become connected."

Joy tilted her head. Fear and Sadness looked at each other, almost as if they were talking telepathically. Anger groaned and looked at Disgust.

"Pitch has no need for you. Take Riley's Joy to the memory dump... and while you're out there, take those two disgraces with you. He's won, he'll never be sad or scared again."

Fear's eyes widened as Disgust advanced on them. Joy inhaled sharply and took a step back. There had to be some way out! Surely one emotion couldn't take three down? Steeling herself for a fight, Fear grabbed her arm and started to run, dragging her behind. The others chased after them, but Fear seemed to fly through the air. Without warning, Fear smashed through some glass and landed on the ground, and ran without missing a beat. Joy dared to glance back to see that Sadness was still ahead of the rest, but not by much. Fear closed his eyes and whispered something inaudible. Joy looked up at him.

"Where are we going?"

"Someplace safe-"

"Hold on!" Sadness called out.

Joy nodded and tightened her grip. Fear morphed into a shadow and slithered to the side at impossible speeds. Joy squeezed her eyes shut and waited until they began steadying. She blinked tentatively. They were in front of a large vault. _The memory vault_. It creaked open slightly under Fear's touch and he slipped inside, followed by Sadness.

"We will be safe until Pitch sleeps-"

"Then the emotions will come after us."

She nodded in understanding and slid to the floor. Looking up at them, she shook her head.

"You seem kind." She commented.

"We were, until Anger-"

"Took over from Fear."

Joy bit her lip. Fear was the lead emotion... but Anger had pushed him away? Her fingers numbly picked up a memory on the vault floor. It was purple and blue. The image was a girl who looked a lot like Riley, only with black hair. She was staring at Pitch with pity.

"That is Katherine-"

"She saved us when the Guardians were about to kill us."

Joy didn't say anything. And then her eyes turned up to the two emotions.

"I need to get back to Riley... will you help me?"


	9. Escape

Pitch's Fear and Sadness looked at each other.

"We'd just get in the way-"

"That's what we always do."

"Are you kidding? Sadness is the most important emotion, along with the lead emotion! No wonder Pitch is the way he is! He's missing you two."

They winced, but nodded. Joy sighed in relief. The next couple of hours was figuring out a plan. It was risky, and dangerous, but it could work. After a while, they decided to take a break. Joy looked up at the sky, which was streaming with those strange creatures. She was itching to get back into Riley's mind... to see what had happened.

* * *

Riley had looked up at Pitch as a smile had spread across his face.

"The moonbeam is mine! The world will fall to me!"

He moved towards the center of his lair and regarded it with disdain.

"This _place_ is my prison. But you just freed me. You should be grateful that you're about to become the Fearling Princess. I'll be able to teach you how to control the shadows themselves... unlock powers you couldn't even dream of. And one day, when you're ready, I might even step down from the throne and you could become the Nightmare Queen."

Riley growled a bit, but didn't say anything. Maybe he was right, being a princess couldn't be _that_ bad.

"Leave her alone, Pitch," a voice called out.

The two looked up to see that Jack was searching around the lair. Pitch turned to Riley with a small chuckle.

"You're about to receive your first lesson about the shadows."

Before Riley could protest, he slid away. The sudden truth hit her. He was ambushing Jack... she had to warn him! She called out, but he was too far away to hear. She scrambled up some chipped stairs and waved her arms frantically. Jack noticed her and his muscles relaxed. Then they tensed, him gazing around wildly. Riley knew he was thinking about Pitch. After a few seconds of nothing happening, Jack shrugged. He leaped into the air lightly and allowed his staff to guide him to Riley. He was so close that Riley could almost reach out and touch him... when a shadow grabbed his ankle. He yelped in surprise and shot ice from his staff. Almost immediately, more shadows swarmed around him.

"Jack!"

Riley launched herself at him. It was just a hunch... and Jack caught her. The shadows paused in confusion, pacing the pair like lions. Riley buried her face into Jack's hoodie and shivered. Jack stared at the shadows in confusion.

"They're not attacking?"

"Pitch wants to make me the Fearling Princess. He won't risk hurting me."

Jack nodded slowly and tried side-stepping away from them. They might not have been attacking, but they weren't letting him leave either. The shadows matched Jack's footing and continued searching for an opening. Riley's nails dug into Jack, making him wince in pain. But she didn't let go, both of them were at stake. The shadows straightened as Pitch rose up. He stared at them and snorted.

"Of course. You know Riley, I don't _have_ to spare you. I could always find another worthy of the title Princess."

"But you don't want to find another, do you? This is some kind of personal vendetta against Katherine."

The winter spirit narrowed his eyes.

"Come on, Pitch. You know I can beat you easily."

The Nightmare King smiled.

"Maybe in your hope-filled world. But you made a mistake, Frost. You came to me. I have the memory of the moonbeam, so what other use could I possibly have for you two? Destroy them."

Riley gasped as he disappeared, and the shadows started advancing. They shot themselves at the two. Jack swung his staff and froze them, but Riley was turning out to be an anchor. He struggled to stay in the air as the shadows bit and clawed at him. A scream ripped through her throat as she was torn away from the spirit.

"Riley!"

With her off of him, he maneuvered more easily. Ice covered the shadows holding the girl. Frost spread quickly on the other shadows. More poured in from the walls, a blinding force of speed. Ice crack from Jack's body, spreading out across the entire lair. Snow filled the ground, burying some of the Nightmares. Screeches rose up from the mob as they were frozen in mid-air, falling and shattering to a million pieces. He stumbled, but tried to shake it off. Riley was laying unconscious next to him, a small layer of frost covering her. He knew he had to get her out of there before she froze, but tiredness tugged at him. After what felt like forever, he pulled her out of Pitch's lair into the sun. It was summer wherever they were, and Jack could already feel the effects. Setting her down gently, he returned into the Boogeyman's hole and soared back to the North Pole. If he stayed with Riley, he would overheat and melt.

* * *

In Riley's head, the emotions were regaining consciousness. They pressed a few buttons and sat back as Riley woke up. She glanced around her to see that she was in a hospital bed. A nurse was at the end, going over a chart. Riley groaned, making the nurse look up.

"Well, well, looks like our little Jane Doe is awake."

"How did I get here?"

"Some hikers found you unconscious. They called 911, and here you are. The weirdest thing, you had frostbite on your fingers. In the middle of July! Mind explaining how that happened?"

Riley blinked and shrugged. The woman smiled kindly and left. In her mind, Riley's Fear was chewing his nails.

"Jack just left us!"

"He never cared about us, that's sad," Sadness commented.

"How could he just leave us with that creep loose on the world?" Anger roared.

Disgust scowled and crossed her arms, "what a low-life slime!"

The emotions shook their heads as they threw levers and handles. Riley began feeling hurt and betrayed. How could he do this to her? How could Jack just leave?


	10. Waiting

**OMG CHAPTER 10, MILESTONE WHOO**

The truth was that Jack _had_ come back for her. When the night came and the temperature dropped, he flew back to the spot he had left her. When she wasn't there, he started panicking. _I'm an idiot! Oh man, where is she_? He combed through the forest until the heat was getting to him, and he had to leave.

But it had been three days without Jack, and all the emotions were worried that he wasn't coming back. Fear was curled up into a little ball, sucking his thumb. Every once in a while, he would press something whenever someone walked in. The police had asked Riley a million questions, but she didn't answer any. What if her parents got into trouble? Were they still under the sleeping spell? She rolled over in her bed and looked at her healing hands. The frostbite had left them in pretty bad shape, but they were healing alright. Her gaze came up to see the moon staring back at her through the window. A shiver ran up her spine. Somehow... the moon was watching her.

* * *

"Okay, the first thing we need to do is get control of Headquarters," Joy began officially. The two other emotions rose their eyebrows.

"Against Anger? Easier said-"

"Than done."

Joy sighed and thought for a few seconds. They had the basic plan... but no way to neutralize Anger and the other emotions. While she was deep in thought, Fear gasped and rose a shaky hand to point at her arm. She looked at the dark spot and blushed.

"Oh, yeah. It's okay, I don't think I can be controlled here."

"No, that's not it! The darkness-"

"Works both ways! With our guidance, you can control the escaped memory that brought you here!"

Joy's eyes widened slightly. The thought of controlling someone wasn't appealing... but she had to save Riley! She held up the arm gingerly, making the darkness bubble. Fear and Sadness stared at each other and gasped. Joy rose an eyebrow, but a part of her understood. They had broken their connection. Sadness moved towards Joy's side and focused on the arm.

"For now, I shall help. Point your arm to Fear and concentrate. Imagine the darkness on your arm unraveling. It's snaking and wrapping around Fear's mind. You are in control. Only you."

She could imagine everything he was saying. Without warning, she jerked back and shook her head.

"Forget about it. I don't want to control people."

"Even if it meant never seeing Riley again?"

She bit her lip and groaned. Closing her eyes, she focused her mind forward. She almost jerked back again when she heard Fear's "Yes, Master?" But Sadness gently placed a hand on her arm.

"It's okay. You're not hurting him. Tell him to do something simple."

"O...K... dance something."

Joy carefully opened her eyes and almost lost her grip as she burst out laughing. Fear was dancing... strangely well. As she stared at him move, Fear suddenly stopped and stretched. He looked at Joy and shook his head.

"You were doing good for a while. I was actually doing your bidding. But you lost your control. If we're going to do this, there can be no error. Again."

* * *

During the three days that Riley spent, Joy was practicing. She made Fear do silly things, like tell jokes, or laugh. There was one instance when she tried making him skip around. He fought back on that one. She was getting pretty good by the end... Fear had to actually fight for control again. But every time, he would say the same thing. He had the chance to regain his control. As long as he could do that, so could the escaped memory. They also taught her some self-defense strategies, such as shooting bit of darkness from her arm, or making her shadow obey her commands. Thankfully, Pitch got little sleep. He was still on the search for the moonbeam, allowing them a little bit of safety. After the three days, they deemed she was ready. Before preparing to leave the memory vault, Sadness stopped her.

"You do realize that if this doesn't work, we will not survive."

Joy gulped and nodded.

"Hey, no sweat. I have good teachers."

"Very well. Don't get distracted. Don't let any of your control slip, keep any stray thoughts in check. This memory will retaliate... you have to mentally prepare yourself for that."

Joy nodded again. As he was turning around, she cleared her throat.

"Once I'm in Riley's mind, how do I get _rid_ of this darkness?"

Sadness chuckled, making Joy's brow furrow in confusion.

"You really are a child. You can get rid of it whenever you want. It's yours to control. Anything you wish, it will do."

"It didn't leave when I wanted it to."

"You weren't disciplined enough. You still aren't. It'll take many months of meditation and dedication, but one day, you'll be able to control it with ease."

Joy blinked as he moved away. The thought of her doing meditation almost made her laugh. She was joyful! Not solemn or calm. Her whole purpose was to be bouncy and bubbly! At her distress, the darkness writhed. Ignoring it, she followed the other two emotions out of the vault. They traveled off the main path, snaking in and around Long term memory. While Joy walked just in front of them, Fear looked at Sadness worriedly. They reconnected easily, forming their unique telepathic bond.

 _What if this doesn't work? She's not exactly the most straight-minded creature in the world,_ Fear thought.

Sadness didn't answer. Fear was right. What if this didn't work? They were jeopardizing everything for this one little emotion. He glanced over at Joy, who was inspecting the memories with a child-like fascination. He looked over at Fear. Their minds were connected, they knew each others' thoughts. It was impossible to hide anything.

 _We're doomed_.


	11. Fighting back

Joy and Pitch's Fear and Sadness looked up at the sky. Even though there were Fearling streaking through it, they could tell it was getting dark.

"Pitch is-"

"Sleeping!"

They looked at each other in astonishment.

"Hey, can you break your telepathic connection just to explain what's going on?"

Annoyance came through their eyes, but they nodded and separated. Fear walked along to find shelter while Sadness walked with Joy.

"Pitch is close to his greatest triumph. The thought that he's _sleeping_ is... astounding. We might actually get control before he finds the beam."

Joy's eyebrow rose quizzically. There was a question that kept repeating over and over in her mind, she just didn't want to voice it. But she had to. Taking in a deep breath, she began.

"Why are you helping me? If you're technically part of Pitch... why aren't you evil?"

Sadness spun around then, surprising Joy so much that she tripped. His eyes narrowed and he shook his head in disgust.

"Pitch wasn't always evil... he used to be a hero. Know your facts before you speak!"

His eyes flickered, and he turned away from her. Joy just stood there, an awkward silence between them. She opened her mouth to ask, but Sadness had already beat her to it. His hand flicked out and plucked a memory from a nearby shelf. Silently, he tossed it over and went to join Fear. Joy looked down to see a yellow orb with an image of a little girl in it. She gently ran her hand along the surface and sighed.

"This memory, it's... happy."

She hadn't even realized that Sadness and Fear had walked ahead. The two called out to her. Instead of putting back the memory, Joy quickly stuffed it into a bag that they had taken with them from the vault. She ran to catch up with the others. Fear pointed out a shaky hand. She followed it to see the escaped memory from Riley examining some of the memories. Sadness nodded to Fear. Fear's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Carefully, Sadness stepped out into the corridor and tried to smile.

"Hello."

The memory whipped around and cocked his head.

"You're Sadness, aren't you?"

"Glad to see we didn't bring a dumb memory into Pitch's brain. He's much too clever for that."

"Forgive me, but why are you here?"

"I'm Sadness. Do you _really_ think they need me up there? No one needs me... so I've come to take you up to Headquarters. They're willing to make you an emotion. Your title is to be Boredom."

"Change me into an emotion? Can that even be done?"

"You dare question the emotions? If you are, then you're basically questioning Pitch. Maybe you should be Doubt."

The memory blinked, deciding whether or not to trust him. He _was_ as emotion after all... Soon a smile curled up his lips.

"On to Headquarters then."

Sadness kept the memory in front of him, while Fear and Joy followed stealthily behind. By the time they were almost in Headquarters, Sadness grabbed the memory and nodded hurriedly towards Joy. She ran forward and focused out her mind. The thing that she met was confusion. She triumphed easily. The memory relaxed and Sadness reluctantly released him.

"Distract Happiness, Disgust, and Anger."

Pitch nodded obediently and moved forward. Joy closed her eyes. She could see everything he saw. Their minds were linked. When the memory walked in, she saw that Happiness was at dream duty. He looked up at smiled in confusion.

"Hello there! Why are you here?"

The memory just returned the smile absently and shrugged.

"I just wanted to see what Headquarters looks like. Maybe you could show me?"

Happiness rose his eyebrow, but nodded. While he was distracted, Sadness and Fear sneaked in. Happiness didn't even know what was coming when they jumped him and dragged him to the side. Happiness moaned, but stayed down as Fear went for the controls. Joy felt like jumping and celebrating. The plan was working! She'd be able to go home and hug her friends and make Riley smile...

"Joy! Your control!" Fear screamed suddenly.

Joy snapped back into it to realize that she had unfocused for too long. The memory was free and was chasing the other two emotions around. Joy ran into Headquarters, making Pitch whirl and growl at her.

"You! I should've gotten rid of you when I had the chance!"

All the noise made Anger and Disgust come bounding down the stairs. Anger's head sizzled, his black hair catching on fire.

"Destroy them all!" He yelled.

Pitch flew at Joy first. She screamed and held out her hands. A ball of darkness shot from her fingertips, throwing the memory to the ground. She glanced at her hand in surprise and looked up again. The others screamed and went into a battle with the three. Fear against Disgust, Sadness with Anger, and Joy with Happiness. More darkness went through Joy, ricocheting against the walls. Happiness dodged it easily and tried to trap her into a shadow. She crawled away easily and ran for the panel. The panel was a lot more complex than the one in Riley's mind. _Eenie meenie miney mo_... she pressed a random button, which made Pitch jerk forward. Joy looked up at the monitor to see that she had woken up Pitch. Happiness tackled her away from the console, making the boogeyman gaze around in confusion. Joy scrambled to get to the buttons and started pressing things randomly. Pitch laughed and doubled over. Tears of joy started streaming from his eyes as he gasped for breath.

"Come on you stupid thing! Just give me a portal or something!"

She threw forward a throttle. Pitch tried to move but couldn't, he was laughing to much. Fear pushed Disgust away and made a run for the console. Disgust tried to stop him, but Fear just rose a cage of shadows around the emotion. Fear gently pushed Joy out of the way and started masterfully handling the console.

"No! Get away from him!" Anger yelled.

Sadness stood in his way, holding the powerful emotion back. The console turned a bright purple, and Pitch gasped. He shot forward into a shadow. Joy looked at Fear quizzically.

"What did you just do?"

"The only way to get you home is by transferring you into Riley's mind. For that, we need Riley."


	12. Found

**Hey! Welcome to another episode of BlackJoy, with a very special guest star :)...**

Riley crept up the hospital corridor, clinging to the wall. There were security cameras everywhere, but with enough luck... She dashed out the back exit before the camera had a chance to turn to her. She had to know where she was... how to get into contact with the Guardians. She ran down the parking lot and expertly jumped over a fence. Landing next to the road, she started to run. Not in any particular direction, just running. After about an hour or so, she saw a sign. The emotions in her head gaped at the sign. They were in Minnesota...

"Well that was unexpected," Disgust murmured.

Sadness gasped and went to the box full of light bulbs. After a bit of rummaging, she picked up a very small one and brought it up to the console.

"Remember that crazy kid in school who claimed he saw Jack Frost and a bunch of other legends?"

"Jamie?"

"Yeah! Maybe we should go to him!"

The emotions hesitated. At the time of Jamie's claim, they hadn't believed him. But now? What did they have to lose? Riley started the long trek over to Jamie's street, Fear putting a number of nerves into her head. She gently knocked on the door to be greeted by a warm light. Jamie stood in the doorway, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. He smiled at Riley.

"Riley? I thought you moved to San Fransisco."

"Uh, yeah I did. I just came to a little bump in the road. Have you ever heard of Pitch?"

Jamie's eyes widened. Without warning, he pulled Riley across the threshold and locked the door. He whirled around to face her.

"What do you know about Pitch?"

"He's looking for something powerful. The Guardians said I was the only one who could help them... but I failed. Pitch has what he's looking for, and it's only a matter of time."

Riley wasn't sure if her ramble had made any sense, but Jamie ran a hand through his hair with a grave expression. Up on the top of the staircase was a little blond girl holding a stuff rabbit. Jamie smiled at her reassuringly.

"Hey, Sophie, go back to bed."

Sophie gave a little nod and shuffled away. Next came Jamie's mom. After briefly asking who Riley was, Jamie answered by simply saying she was an old friend. His mom rose an eyebrow. He took Riley into the dining room and sat down with her.

"Tell me everything."

So Riley started from the beginning, mentioning the movie and how she thought it was so funny two of the characters' names were Jamie and Sophie. Jamie listened with wide eyes until Riley was finished.

"Wow, that sounds amazing! I should probably check that movie out, but who needs it when you've seen the real thing? What we need is a plan of strategy, one Pitch won't be able to guess!"

"How's that possible? We're all doomed," Sadness made Riley say.

Jamie looked at her worriedly, but tried to smile.

"Hey, it's okay. You're not the only one Pitch has targeted."

Riley squeezed her eyes shut and got up. He couldn't understand. Jamie had succeeded, she had failed.

"Thanks, but I don't think you can help me."

"Wait, Riley! I _can_ help you, if you'll just give me the chance!"

Sadness made her nod and turn back to Jamie.

"Fine. I just don't want you or your sister to get hurt."

Jamie smiled and took Riley into the living room. After a long conversation with his parents, he was able to get some blankets for her. Riley settled onto the couch and almost instantly fell asleep. Jamie blinked and shook his head in wonder. Just when he thought he'd learned everything that needed to be learned... he bounded up the stairs and jumped into bed. That night, the shadows around Riley elongated to form Pitch. In his mind, Fear was controlling, while Sadness still held Anger back. With a shaky hand, Pitch pressed his thumb against her forehead. Riley stirred, shivering, but didn't wake. Suddenly, a door appeared in Pitch's Headquarters. Joy instantly ran for it, but Happiness tripped her.

"You will never escape!"

"Watch me!"

Joy flung darkness in his direction and leaped for the doorway. Happiness lunged for her. His hand wrapped around her ankle. Her light burnt him as he staggered back in pain. Tentacles of shadows flew out at her, trying to pin her down. Joy screamed and fought back. Pain shot through her body as the tentacles stung her. The last thing she saw before fading was Sadness throwing her into the portal before Riley woke up with a scream.

* * *

Sadness had dream duty. When the portal appeared in Headquarters, she screamed out for the other ones. Fear pressed a button, making Riley wake up with a start. When they saw Pitch, all the emotions started hitting the console at once. Before Pitch could do anything, he blinked in surprise and disappeared. The portal was beginning to close. The shadows that had been slithering around Headquarters for a while paused as a small figure landed on the other side with a _thump_. The emotions gasped and scampered over to where Joy was, unconscious. Joy moaned and opened her eyes to see her friends. _Sadness saved me_... was her first thought. She tried sitting up, but instantly fell back down. She was exhausted, but the pain from the stings was starting to subside. Riley's Sadness and Anger gently hoisted her up and walked her to the room where the emotions slept. Joy tried to stay awake, but ended up passing out anyway.


	13. Not tuna

**Okay, so I haven't gone too much into it because this isn't a Romance story, buuuuut, I think I invented a new ship XD. I might even do a complete fic if you leave enough comments for it. I'm thinking of the ship name to be something like Jaley, what do you think? Leave a comment and like!**

Just before Riley's eyes fluttered open, Disgust went to go check on Joy. She was a little bit weak, but with Disgust's help, she was able to get to the console. She looked at the other emotions and gave a triumphant smile.

"Okay, so what kind of cool adventures are we in right now?"

"Well, we broke out of a hospital, walked a couple of miles, and now sleeping in some kid from schools' house."

Joy stared at Anger, who had spoken. She giggled nervously and bit her lip.

"You know what? It's okay, this is an _adventure_! Don't worry, Joy's here, and I got Riley covered."

Riley's eyes fluttered open, prompting the emotions to look at the screen. She was staring up at the ceiling with a blanket wrapped around her. Turning to her side, Fear made her yelp and jump back. Pitch? A Nightmare? Some kind of monkey king?

"Sophie..."

Sophie looked at Riley and giggled. Riley brought up her legs to be sitting upright and smiled down at the little girl.

"Hey, what you got there?" Riley asked softly.

Sophie held up a stuff rabbit and did a little jump.

"Bunny hop hop."

"Sophie? Did you wake up Riley?" Jamie asked, coming into the room.

Sophie shook her head and bounded away, playing with her bunny. Jamie waved to Riley.

"Good morning," he said, plopping down on a second sofa.

"Back to sleep already? You just got up!"

"It's a Saturday. Why should I conform to the laws of waking up?"

In Headquarters, Joy was laughing hysterically, "don't you love this guy? Come on, we deserve to relax and unwind!"

Riley chuckled and leaned back into the sofa.

"That way of thinking is actually logical... could I ask a favor? I want to think that Jack's looking for me, so can I stay just one more day? Then I'll be out of your hair."

"It might take some convincing my mom..."

"What did you tell her by the way?"

"Just that you were an old friend from school. You and your parents came up to visit your grandparents, and you just wanted to stop by and say hi. Some weird traffic incident happened, and now you're stuck here."

Riley didn't say anything, just rose her eyebrow quizzically. Jamie gave a nervous chuckle and shrugged.

"You want to head outside? Spring's here, the snow's melting."

Riley smiled and nodded. Together, they ran out with Sophie at their heels. Riley gazed around to see that he was right... the snow was melting. Suddenly, Joy got an idea and plugged it into Riley's mind. She whipped around and grasped Jamie's arm.

"The lake! Is it still here? I used to have so much fun on that!"

"Yeah, and it's still frozen!"

Jamie pointed and then scrambled to get to it. Sure enough, there was the lake. The hockey goal was even still up. After a strict talk with Sophie, she reluctantly stayed on the firm ground. Going out onto the ice, they tried out their skating skills. Riley shook her head, amused. It wasn't hard to tell Jamie was an amateur. She did a full circle on the ice before shooting a figure eight. After a while, the two took a break. Jamie ran to get some lunch. Riley stared at the sandwich. Disgust had her hand poised over the button as Riley examined its insides quickly.

"Is that... tuna?"

"Yeah," Jamie said casually, taking a big bite.

"Tuna? Does he want to poison us? What is wrong with him?" Disgust screamed.

She slammed her hand down on the console, but Joy threw a lever. Riley smiled at Jamie's expectant face and took a bit out of the sandwich. She nodded, refusing to swallow it.

"Hmm... good."

"I was just kidding. It's chicken."

Riley gently tasted it and sighed.

"Don't scare me like that! For a second, I actually thought it was tuna."

"Why would I give you something you hate?"

"How would you know if I hated it?"

Jamie chuckled, his face becoming a bit pink. The emotions in Riley's head head straightened in surprise.

"You don't think-"

"No way!" Disgust said loudly.

They cleared their throats, Riley doing the same. Instead of saying anything, she took another bite out of her lunch. Then she noticed across the lake, something swimming under the water. She pointed to it and they both got up cautiously. Tiptoeing around the lake's edge, Riley picked up a large stick. She tested it in her hands and got closer. Whatever it was was floating so close to the surface that it was practically touching. The thing turned its head up, and Riley almost collapsed with relief. There, in the ice, was the smiling face of Jack Frost.


	14. The Cave

Jack seemed to melt against the ice, becoming one with the frozen lake. He appeared in front of Riley, stretching his limbs.

"You have no idea how long I've been trying to find you!"

Riley chuckled and gave her friend a hug. Frost gently spread across her face in a snowflake pattern, but she didn't care. Somewhere behind her, Jamie gasped. Jack stared at Jamie with wide eyes.

"Wow... you're so big."

Jamie looked down and nodded.

"Turned fourteen not to long ago."

Riley looked at him then. She was still thirteen... still had four months to go. Jack gave Riley another squeeze and went to hug Jamie. Jack looked to Riley, and then back to Jamie.

"You've been filled in?"

Jamie gave a nod.

"Good. We could use your help."

"Jack, what's been going on?" Riley asked worriedly.

"It's not going so well. We've scoured the globe and still can't find it. Manny hasn't reported any of his beams going dark, so we know Pitch doesn't have the dagger. But it's just a matter of time."

"How can we help?" She asked with a straight face.

"We're going on a new lead... one that makes a lot of sense. There's a cave somewhere in the Amazon. Legend says that only a pure heart can enter and leave."

"I don't have a pure heart," Riley stated simply.

"Yeah, you do. Not only does North say Katherine had a pure heart, but I've seen it in you. You can do this Riley."

She gulped, staring at his face. Finally, she gave a curt nod. Jack smiled, "Then what are we waiting for?"

* * *

He took the two of them to the outskirts of the town, where Bunny was leaning against a building. He looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"It's about bloody time," he murmured.

Jack gently set them down and took a step back. Riley's eyes widened. Fear started pressing buttons at random, making her almost panic. Joy tried to calm him down, but he was going too fast.

"You mean you're not coming?!"

"Sorry, Riley. This is the Amazon rain forest. I won't last ten minutes in that kind of heat."

Jamie looked just as shocked and scared as Riley felt. Bunny took their hands and brought them to the center of a clearing. Tapping his foot, the ground beneath them caved into a spiraling tunnel. They shot down, twisting and screaming as they went. Disgust shrieked.

"The vomit has activated! Oh my gosh, so gross!"

By the time they reached the forest, Riley was swerving and spinning. The emotions bit their lips.

"That's going to leave a mark," Joy commented to herself.

Riley held her head and gazed at her surroundings. They were on a river bank looking towards the jungle. It was dense... dark. Pitch could be watching them right now, and they wouldn't even know. Animals scurried in front of them. Bunny held up a commanding hand.

"Stay close. We don't need you getting lost."

The two obeyed, never losing sight of their guard. They passed through some thick underbrush, traveling deep into the jungle. After a couple of hours of walking, Riley was gasping for air.

"Couldn't you bring us closer to the cave?"

"It would've been too dangerous. The river could've provided an easy escape route."

Riley narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything. Anger's head sizzled.

"Listen to him and his fancy Australian accent! He's having fun watching us suffer!"

"Simmer down."

Anger reluctantly obeyed. At that moment, Bunny made a motion for them to stop. Up ahead was a marble cave. There was a heart engraved at the top. It seemed to glow as they stepped forward.

"It basically scans the goodness in your heart. Your heart's considered pure once it glows yellow."

Bunny took another step forward. The heart pulsed with a rainbow of colors, eventually dulling into a baby blue. Next came Jamie. He almost had it, a bright orange that could've easily been mistaken for yellow. When it was Riley's turn, the heart paused, as if considering. A bright yellow cascaded over her. She stared at the light in wonder and laughed. Was this real? She walked over the threshold into the cave and giggled, spinning. Bunny quickly told her to get the dagger. She shrugged as jumped through the cave. In front of her was a dagger glowing brightly. A smile formed on her lips. She had done it... it was over. Her hand wrapped around the handle and picked it up. It was beautiful, but she expected... more. She thought it would be more spectacular. She thought the moonbeam would _feel_ alive. It was probably nothing. She turned on her heel and sprinted towards the exit. Suddenly, she was thrown back. Pain shot up her back as she landed with a _thud_. Her companions outside gazed at her in confusion. From the darkness of the jungle outside, the shadows gathered and warped into Pitch's form. Bunny held up his boomerang defensively. Pitch sneered at the rabbit.

"Oh, go to the pretty little garden you came from."

He turned to Riley with a cruel smile.

"My, my, my. How silly! I can't believe you didn't notice it was a fake."

Bunny snorted.

"Please! You don't have a pure heart, how could you have put in a fake?"

"I _know_ because I have the memory. It was Nightlight's plan to put a fake in a believable place. You see, he thought Katherine would recognize it as a fake. His faith in her was unnerving. He wanted to trap thieves."

"But I'm not a thief," Riley began. Pitch snarled at her, silencing her.

"Foolish girl! When you stole this dagger from the cave, you became a thief. You tarnished your pure heart... and now you will be trapped inside the cave forever."

* * *

 **Sorry for another cliffhanger XD. I know I probably put way too many of these things in, but they're just so fun lol.**


	15. Inside the cave

"Liar!" Riley screamed.

She ran towards the cave entrance, but got blocked again. All the emotions except Joy began working the console. Outside, Bunnymund snorted and growled at Pitch.

"I have a feeling you're lying to me, mate. And I don't like to be lied to."

"Believe whatever you want, Rabbit. Makes no difference. Your precious Riley can never escape."

In a rage, Bunny threw his boomerang at the Boogeyman. He ducked expertly and slid away in shadow-form. Riley Hugged herself, shaking her head in disbelief. Jamie ran to the cave and bit his lip sympathetically.

"Hey, Riley, it's okay. We'll get you out of here in no time!"

Bunny nodded, but Riley knew neither of them believed it. While they inspected the cave entrance, Riley decided to explore deeper into the cave. Who knew what treasures were in here? She passed corridors and clearings. Large, glittering jewels stared at her, masterfully crafted swords, ancient-looking scrolls with unreadable text. She stopped at a lake and examined it quickly. Fresh water... enough to sustain her for years. Then she noticed something on the wall. A little light. Its glow was dull, but noticeable. When she looked at it close up, she was surprised to see it was a glowworm. Suddenly, another lit up next it. And another, and another. She inhaled as hundreds of glowworms lit up brilliantly. But they were all on one side of the wall. Curiously, she traced her hand along the wall to follow it. It led to a fork in the path. Glowworms lined one path, while the other was covered in darkness.

"It's a map!" Joy exclaimed.

A smile crossed Riley's face as she ran down the road of glowworms. After about five minutes, she was huffing and looking around. She was in some kind of chamber. Glowworms dotted the entire room... the ceiling, the walls, even a couple on the floor. Riley looked straight ahead to see a pedestal with a small box on it. She approached it cautiously and lifted the handle. A shard of glass stared back at her. As gently as possible, she held up the glass and held it to the glowworms' light. Suddenly, it started to glow, pulsing and growing in her hand. She had to drop it on the ground. Instead of shattering, it continued to grow and warp into the form of a boy. He stumbled and fell on the ground, holding his head. He looked up at her and gave a magical smile. Riley didn't know how, but she knew it was Nightlight.

* * *

"Katherine!" He said in a light, almost musical voice.

Riley shook her head, which made Nightlight tilt his head in confusion.

"My name's Riley. People say I used to be Katherine... but I'm not anymore."

Nightlight face became totally sad. It kind of made Riley feel guilty. In Headquarters, the emotions were cringing. This wasn't going well. A voice echoed throughout HQ, making everybody look around.

" _You're right... you are different from Katherine. But that doesn't mean we can't still be friends_!"

"Joy, the magical boy from a glass shard is asking to be our friend," Disgust said with a raised eyebrow.

Joy giggled nervously. She nodded to Fear, and they both started working. Riley gave a smile, while staying cautious/

"Okay... we can be friends. But I'm still trapped. Your little fake dagger got me," Riley grumbled.

Nightlight's eyes widened.

" _Forgive me... I-I didn't think-_ "

Riley bit her lip and turned away. She couldn't lose control now. She need him to get out. Nightlight gently took her hand and smiled.

" _Come. I know how to be free._ "

As hard as Fear had cautioned her, Riley couldn't help trusting him. She took his hand, and he pulled her out of the cavern. Together, they sprinted through the cave, passing wonder after wonder. Finally, Nightlight hopped down to another level and gave a triumphant smile. Riley leaned over the edge to see that he was holding a small box. At the end of it was a picture of a girl with black hair. She was dressed for old times and her lips were a bright red. Nightlight held the box out to Riley expectantly. She took it with a shaky hand and opened it. Inside was an array of teeth, lined up in two perfect rows. Riley looked at Nightlight, astonished.

"These are Katherine's teeth!"

* * *

Riley stared at them with wide eyes. It couldn't be! Nightlight silently urged her to take one. She picked it up and was instantly hit with a memory. She was standing next to a large goose, lovingly brushing its feathers. It honked and gently nuzzled her cheek. Nightlight came in and started petting the goose.

" _Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the party? They miss you_."

"Pitch's defeat was a victory, no doubt. But I keep feeling like he's out there. Have you learned anything about his daughter?"

Nightlight shook his head, his bright aura temporarily dimmed. At that moment, their brand new bunny friend hopped in and smiled.

"Oi, Katherine! Why aren't you at the party? Not only did I grow six arms today, but there's chocolate! I think that's cause for celebration."

Katherine chuckled and the memory ended.

* * *

Riley blinked and looked at Nightlight. He gazed back up at her steadily. She slid onto the floor, holding the box in front of her. Nightlight jumped up lightly next to her and stared at the other teeth. The other emotions took a step back as Joy threw a throttle. Riley giggled and smiled brightly.

"That was amazing! I never thought... wow!"

" _And another falls to Katherine_ ," Nightlight joked.

Riley chuckled and shook her head. Nightlight paused and stared at her. How could she look so much like Katherine, yet be so different? Riley held up the box and scanned the teeth.

"Nightlight, can you stay with me? I want to see more memories."


	16. Memories

Riley traveled through the memories happily. She saw so many amazing things, that Joy was practically dancing. The darkness on her arm pulsed along with her. She looked at it warily. Get it to go away? She tapped it. When nothing happened, she decided to leave it alone. Riley still needed her. She'd figure it out when they were safe. On the monitor was Katherine looking out from a large tree. There were some children playing on the ground with stone egg warriors.

"Come on, Katherine! Come play with us! We're recreating the Battle At the Center of the Earth!"

Katherine chuckled.

"Maybe later."

She then turned to a book, and kept writing.

* * *

Riley looked at Nightlight with a smile. He cocked his head, asking her to explain the smile.

"Katherine liked to write. I... I don't mind it."

Nightlight seemed to understand, and the same magical smile crossed his face. He held up another tooth, which Riley took greedily.

* * *

Katherine was with a younger looking North in a large workshop. There were nuts and bolts scattered all along the table. She looked up at North and held up a gear.

"Where do we start?"

"We must make the frame first. The Djinni's body must be strong, yet elegant. It will also require much ingenuity. Maybe Ombric can cast some spell."

"Come on, North, we can do it! You know Ombric's number one rule."

North scratched his chin and smiled.

"How could I forget? Always believe."

* * *

Riley went through some more memories, seeing Katherine ride Kailash, when she fell and knocked her tooth out, and... when Nightlight kissed her. That memory was a bit hazy, Katherine had been under some kind of curse. But Riley watched through girl's eyes as she was trapped in some kind of stone. Katherine had been in a nightmare, but somehow knew the stone was falling. She ran, hopelessly thinking she could outrun the inevitable. A menacing laugh rang out... and then... she was staring up at Nightlight's face. Katherine was barely conscious as Nightlight gently picked her up and leaped away from the falling stone. Nightlight floated down and placed her in the snow. Katherine shivered at the cold, but happiness filled her mind.

"Wow..." Riley muttered, the memory starting to fade.

The emotions crowded around the monitor in awe. Riley looked at Nightlight and bit her lip. The only emotion driving was Sadness, who pushed a button. Riley looked away and started tearing up. Nightlight's glow flickered in alarm as he brought her chin to face him.

"She was amazing... I can see why everybody misses her. I just... I'm not her, and I... I don't feel that way about you. She obviously cared about you, but I don't know you. You're a stranger to me."

Nightlight didn't respond, but he eventually nodded in understanding. Taking Riley's hand, he pulled her along gently through the maze of cave tunnels. He held up a hand, pointing to the pedestal where Riley had taken the fake dagger.

"I don't understand."

" _The Man in the Moon started to fear for his moonbeam's safety, for it could not retreat. He had me hide it in a place no one... not even the Guardians... could find it._ "

"But I had the memory!"

A playful smile played on the boy's lips.

" _You had a memory. One specially designed by Tooth. The real memory of the dagger's location was placed in your last baby tooth... the last one in the box. I stayed behind to help you retrieve it if you ever needed it._ "

"You mean... Pitch has a _fake_ memory?"

Nightlight nodded.

* * *

Pitch slid over the terrain, his Happiness barely able to control itself. In his mind, Anger was could still drive if needed, but was trapped in a cage made of shadows. Fear pushed a button, putting the ever so slightest doubt in the back of Pitch's mind. Was this really happening? It seemed too perfect... He looked at the hole in front of him quizzically. According to the memory, Nightlight had left the dagger in the same cavern in which Pitch had been revived. It made his skin crawl to be in the same place. The place where Nightlight had trapped him for centuries. He scanned the cave, searching under rocks and in smaller holes. _Blasted cave... where's a magical dagger when you need one_? He chuckled and drew a breath. It would all be alright once he found it. Happiness suddenly jumped up from the console and got an idea. Shadows oozed from him, cloaking the place in complete darkness. Even Pitch had a hard time seeing. Now the moonbeam would have no choice but to reveal itself...

"Where is it?" He gasped suddenly.

"Where is it! It's not here... they tricked me! I will destroy them! No, it's got to be here somewhere!"

Nothing but darkness stared back at him. The emotions weren't prepared. Anger rose up towering over the others. The cage groaned and snapped. They whimpered and scampered out of the way as he raged around Headquarters. The outside Pitch breathed heavily, his eyes hardening in absolute rage. The only sound was his scream.


	17. O' dagger where 'art thou?

Riley stared at the box instead of taking the tooth. Nightlight's eyebrow rose, but Riley just pushed the box back to him.

"It's okay... you keep the memory. I already lost the first one... I don't want to lose this one."

Nightlight gave a warm, reassuring smile. He took out the tooth and placed in her palm. Riley's hand squeezed on it, and the memory exploded in her mind.

Katherine was standing at the edge of the woods near the North Pole. The Guardians were gathered around her and she tenderly held the dagger. Bunny snorted.

"We should be destroying it. Maybe that will free the beam."

North shook his head in exasperation.

"It is as strong if not stronger than diamond! Unless you have a way to cut through diamond..."

Bunny stayed quiet. Katherine looked out into the forest. Riley could feel her anxiousness... but she tried to stay calm. Out of the mist, a figure emerged. Emily-Jane! As she walked, the trees parted. She stopped in front of Katherine and smiled.

"Glad to see Father hasn't turned you into a Fearling."

Katherine chuckled nervously and held out the dagger.

"Sandy says you can help us with this. Will you?"

Emily-Jane looked down at the dagger, then back at Katherine's face.

"Why, of course. There's a large tree next to the frozen lake. You may hide it inside there. The trees will form defensive traps to protect it... but it will be safe."

"What if Pitch finds a way to the tree?"

"There's one last defense that can help."

She took a small pouch and pulled out a seed. The seed she had given Riley...

"If you squeeze the seed, it will transform into a key to unlock the tree. Then you will find your dagger... but there's so much more to it... I'll hold onto it for now... but one day, I will return it to you."

Katherine nodded gratefully and handed the dagger to her. Emily-Jane melted into the forest, leaving her to look at Tooth.

"I don't want to risk anything. You need to take our memories."

* * *

Riley's eyes flew open as the memory ended. Her hand went to her pocket, where the seed was. She stared at it and looked at Nightlight with a smile.

"I know where to look!"

Nightlight cheered and took her hand. They ran to the mouth of the cave, where Bunny and Jamie were still trying to figure a way to free her. Bunny saw Nightlight and gasped, hopping forward.

"Crikey, it's been forever! What have you been doing in _there_?"

Nightlight waved his hand dismissively and pointed to the seed in Riley's hand.

"We need to get to the North Pole now." Riley translated.

"But you're still trapped!"

Nightlight smiled again and wrapped a hand onto Riley's wrist. He led her to the mouth of the cave.

" _Close your eyes._ "

Riley obeyed, her eyes shutting. She felt herself being walked forward, Nightlight's hand never leaving her. At some point, he flicked her cheek, making her open her eyes. She was outside. How was this even possible? She looked at Bunny and Jamie, who both shrugged. Riley was about to ask Nightlight, when his arms wrapped around her, and he flew up. The two down below stared as Nightlight went higher and higher. Before Riley even had a chance to adjust, the boy rocketed forward over the jungle... to the North Pole. Jack was the first to notice them coming in. He sensed it on his wind and called out for the other Guardians. They gasped at seeing Nightlight. Tooth rushed forward and gave the boy a hug. He looked at her, surprised. The last time he saw her, she had been so intense. Tooth smiled again.

"So glad to see you again. Did you get the dagger," she asked, looking at Riley.

Riley shook her head and explained. Tooth gave a curt nod, and they flew in the direction of the forest. North soon realized he should come, as well as Sandy. They stopped at the edge of a ring of large birch trees. North made a grand gesture towards them.

"These are the silver oaks. Their job is to repel artificial darkness... the type Pitch brings."

Riley nodded and took a cautious step forward. A branch shot out towards her! Riley yelped and leaped out of the way as it lodged itself into the ground where she had been standing. Just as quickly, more branches attacked her. Riley screamed out, prompting Jack to try and freeze the branches. In Headquarters, the emotions were going over notes frantically.

"I don't understand! Why is it attacking?"

"We should be fighting back!"

"No! We have to figure out what's wrong!"

"It's me," Joy said quietly.

The others turned to her in surprise. She held out her arm. The darkness was cowering down, like a scared dog. It quivered as Joy gently tapped it. Her eyes turned up to the monitor. North was hacking away at the trees crazily, Tooth and Sandy were trying to get Riley away. None of it mattered. The trees had sensed Joy, and were desperate for the kill. Sadness wrapped a hand around Joy's.

"That arm is part of you now... and Riley needs you. No matter what happens... we'll still have to live with it."

Joy inhaled and looked at the others. They nodded, small smiles spreading across their faces. Joy and Anger took a step towards the control panel. Outside, Riley broke away from Tooth and Sandy and ran up to the trees. They paused, confused by the action.

"I don't care what you do to me! Everyone has a little darkness, but I'm not like Pitch. Let me through! My intentions are good."

After what felt like an eternity, the trees pulled back. A path cleared for them, and everyone stared at Riley in amazement. She giggled and ran forward into the ring of trees. In the center of the ring was a large oak with a hole in the center. It was weirdly shaped... a keyhole! Just as Riley was about to go for it, her shadow lengthened and stood up, becoming another form.

Pitch's lips curled up into a smile.

"That was almost too easy."


	18. The tree

"Pitch!" Riley shrieked.

North held up his swords just as Bunny appeared from one of his tunnels. The Guardians were all facing Pitch... but Riley was on the other side. He laughed. Even though he was laughing, Joy realized that he was enraged. _But Sadness... Fear_... He turned towards Riley and scowled. The shadows on the ground began bubbling up at his anger. Through gritted teeth, he took a menacing step forward.

"Thank you for being my ticket into this place. I could never have done it without you."

"I... I don't understand." Riley stammered.

The Guardians ran forward, but yelped as the bubbling shadows burned them. Steam rose up from the shadows, making it impossible to fly over. The darkness seemed to trail off of Pitch as he circled Riley with narrowed eyes.

"After I found out you had deceived me, I came here. I knew it was only a matter of time until you revealed its location to the Guardians. I followed you and attached to your shadow. Like I said, _easy_. And now... you shall pay."

Riley gasped and backed up. Nightmares formed around her, glaring at her. The emotions tried tackling Fear away from the panel as Riley glanced at the creatures, back to Pitch.

"Pitch! You leave her alone!" One of the Guardians screamed.

He threw back his head and laughed. Walking up to one of his Nightmares, he gently stroked its mane.

"I could order my Mares to kill you right now. A part of me wants to see your face when I get the dagger."

A shadow snaked around Riley, wrapping her up like rope. She struggled, kicking and yelling out. The Nightmares whinnied, beginning to smell her fear.

"You'll never get away with this!"

"Oh little one, but I already have."

He held up a hand to show the seed. Riley gasped and patted her pocket. It was gone... It made her struggled even more, trying to squirm out of the shadow. Pitch squeezed the seed and smiled as it shimmered and transformed into a small key. His hand reached out for it... and he yelped in pain. Riley's head shot up and Pitch stared down at the burn mark. His glare turned to Riley with hate.

"Looks like my daughter was smart. Unlock the tree."

"Seriously? You threaten me, try to turn me to your side, try to kill me, trap me, torture me, and you think I'll actually help you? You're so weak, you refuse to face off against the Guardians! Someone who hides from their enemies isn't a powerful person."

His eyes fired up with rage. For a second, Riley shrank. Did she just dig her own grave? But then, Pitch turned to the bubbling shadows and looked back at Riley. His lips curled up at the challenge.

"I can defeat any of them. Pick your Guardian."

"Jack Frost."

His gaze hardened.

"Or are you too scared to face him?"

His head whipped to the shadows. A small opening appeared and he called out.

"Frost, I think you should come join the party. If anyone else enters, I will turn the girl into the Fearling princess."

 _He would've done it by now_... Riley thought, confused. But Jack stepped in, and the opening closed behind him. He glanced at Riley worriedly, then back to Pitch. He held up his staff defensively.

"Just let her go."

"Oh, but where would be the fun in that?"

Pitch shot out darkness, which Jack easily dodged. Ice shot out of the tip of his staff. The Boogeyman caught them and threw them back. Jack yelped and leaped to the side, firing off bolts of snow repeatedly. Pitch sunk down and sent out shadows slithering on the ground. They clawed at the winter spirit's feet, making him float off the ground. Nightmares appeared out of nowhere, trying to kick Jack out of the sky. Ice shot out and they froze. The Nightmare King cocked his head and laughed.

"Surprised you can do that trick so easily now. Well... I've been learning a few things too."

Jack's eyebrow rose, but before he could say anything, his body darkened into a shadow. Riley screamed as jack dropped down onto the ground, now a full shadow. He looked around frantically, and ice shot up. But it wasn't focused. It speared out in all directions, shooting straight through the bubbling shadows. It started to hit Pitch repeatedly. No matter where he threw darkness, he couldn't get rid of Jack. Pitch was thrown off his feet and landed a couple of inches away from Riley. He moaned and started to sit up. Riley kicked him. He fell forward onto his chest, groaning again. She gave him another swift kick on his back, making the Boogeyman black out. The sand around Riley disappeared.

"Jack! Jack, you can stop!"

It was like he couldn't hear her. Ice kept being fired randomly. Riley ducked down and snatched the key that was still in Pitch's hand. Jogging over to the tree, she inserted the key. Some low-hanging branches unraveled to reveal the dagger nestled in the leaves. The moonbeam was still inside, shinning brightly. Riley picked it up and smiled, a laugh forming on her lips. Pain sprouted from her shoulder. She doubled-over in a gasp and looked back to see her entire arm coated in ice. The cold seemed to go right through her as she landed with a heap, her fingers tightly held around the dagger.


	19. Light vs Dark

Riley staggered to her feet, glancing at the ice. Fear took hold of the control pad, no matter how much the other emotions tried to stop him. Riley fell down again, the dagger resting on top of the ice. The battle around her seemed to disappear as her eyes flickered.

Suddenly, she felt a tingling sensation in the frozen arm. Looking down, Joy made her cry out. The moonbeam was melting the ice away, making it drip down. It even made the skin on her arm feel hot. She stood up, adrenaline rushing through her. Pitch was sitting up, rubbing his aching temple. That little brat! He saw her and frowned a little. She found the dagger? His Anger flared up, making the other emotions back away slowly. But instead of going into a white rage, Happiness stepped forward and began driving Pitch. Pitch paced around Riley.

"So, you found it, huh? But I think we both know you're not ready for the dagger's power. You are but a simple child, a girl adjusting to a new life in a new city. How could you ever hope of defeating me?"

Riley's confidence wavered.

"Get out of my head," she said through gritted teeth.

"It's not a lie or influencing if it's the truth. You have no place among the Guardians. You're just a little girl who got mixed up in something she doesn't understand."

"You know what? I have had it with you! What the heck is wrong with you, you lying, manipulative-"

"Don't want to lose our temper, do we?"

In Riley's Headquarters, everyone was running around frantically. Joy started at the monitor and something clicked. She called out for attention, making the other emotions pause. Almost as if by impulse, they knew what she was thinking. The momentary panic died down as the emotions took their seats. For the first time in Riley's life, they all worked as one, throwing levers simultaneously, focusing all their energy as equals.

Riley inhaled deeply, bringing up the dagger. Pitch's eyes flickered, making calculations. Up above, the moon started shining brighter. It reflected through the dagger, washing the tree in light. Pitch yelped at the light, trying to escape into the shadows. The light sparkled through Riley until she was practically glowing. Pitch crumpled, gripping his head. In his headquarters, a small light broke through the Fearlings. It grew and swirled. A tunnel. All the emotions ducked for cover as wind whipped through. The Fearlings screamed, clawing at the ground, howling as they were being sucked into the tunnel. Fear looked up to come face-to-face with Anger. His fingers were wrapped around the control pad, but he was dangling loosely, eyes wide.

"Fear! Brother! Help me!"

Fear stared at Anger for a few seconds. Before Anger knew what was happening, Fear wrapped his hands around Anger's wrists.

"You are a curse to this place. You are a nasty and powerful emotion, but you don't care about Pitch. You never have."

Anger's eyes widened in shock as Fear threw his hands from the console.

He shot into the tunnel, trying to grab onto something. The rest of the Fearlings swirled down into the light, as if it were a drain. They were taking memories with them, gripping onto them like lifeboats. It didn't make a difference though. Fear squeezed his eyes shut, and cowered. When he opened them again, he was almost blinded by Headquarter's natural light. Fear gazed around to see that the other emotions looked... different. They were wearing a general uniform and their skin seemed more human.

Outside, Riley stared in awe at the dagger, which had collected and trapped the darkness. In front of her, Kozmotis Pitchineer stood up on shaky legs. He looked at her in confusion and squinted.

"Do... do I know you?" He asked in a small voice.

Riley walked up to him on numb legs. His complexion was normal and his eyes had gone from golden to brown. He knelt down so that he was eye-level with her.

"My name is Kozmotis," he said, smiling.

In his Headquarters, the emotions looked on. Another small light appeared, and they all threw themselves under the console. A thud followed, but otherwise, nothing. They peered around to see Anger. But not the Anger they knew. This one was gazing around in fascination. He noticed the emotions staring and blinked.

"Hi. I'm Anger. Who are you?"

* * *

The next few hours were a blur. The shadow barrier dissipated and Jack came back. At first he was dazed, swaying from side to side as the Guardians rushed in, prepared to fight Pitch. When Kozmotis saw them, he tripped backwards and tried scrambling away from them. Then Man in Moon spoke. Of course, it wasn't real speech, just enough for North to translate. As he did, his eyes clouded in puzzlement.

"Manny are you sure? He says Kozmotis is to still be a Guardian... a Guardian of Fear."

"That makes no sense," Jack said outright.

"Not necessarily. There's the wild, nonsense fear, and then there's the fear that you learn from, which therefor protects you," Tooth said thoughtfully.

Riley was only half-listening. One thing was on her mind, and one thing only.

"Does that mean I can go home now?"

Jack turned to her and nodded, saying he'd take her. When they got there, Riley ran into the house and waited anxiously. Her parents came trudging down the stairs, rubbing their eyes.

"Riley? What are you doing out of bed? And why aren't you in your pjs?"

Instead of answer, Riley ran up and hugged them. They grunted in surprise and looked at each other. What was she playing at?

"Riley, where were you?"

She hesitated, not sure what to tell them.

"I... went stargazing at the top of that little hill behind the house."

Her parents didn't know what to say. Riley sighed. She'd deal with the consequences for later, but for right now, she just wanted to keep hugging them.


	20. Epilogue

**Wow! It's over! This has been so amazing and fun! And thank you all for your support :D For my next story, I will give four choices, and leave your vote in the comments section for what you want to see next!**

 **A... RileyxJamie, a fanfic all to themselves**

 **B... Once Upon a Time and Rotg crossover**

 **C... PitchxPersephone Greek mythology and Rotg crossover (with a little twist on it ;))**

 **D... Doctor Who and Steven Universe crossover**

Five years had passed since those events. A now eighteen year old Riley was sitting in the restaurant, waiting. Jamie came back from the restroom and combed a hand through his hair.

"Remind me again why we're celebrating?" Riley asked.

Jamie shrugged and smiled.

"Well, aside from the reason that I got accepted into Harvard."

Riley gasped and hugged her boyfriend.

"Jamie, that's amazing!"

He chuckled and hugged back. Pulling away, he motioned for them to get up.

"Jack's calling me a nerd, but I don't mind. Although... he did tell me to tell you something."

Riley's eyebrow rose, and Jamie kissed her forehead.

"The Man in the Moon wants you to lead a normal life, but it's your time... he's decided to make you the Guardian of Bravery."

Riley gasped and laughed disbelievingly. Joy was in shock, not sure which button to press. Fido, the darkness on her arm, made a motion towards a blue button. Joy smiled and pressed it, making the darkness dance a little. Riley nodded enthusiastically, hugging Jamie again.

"Of course I'll accept! Only if Manny makes you immortal too."

"I think Jack can arrange that."

They smiled and walked out of the restaurant together, arms linked. A couple of miles away, Kozmotis was standing over a sleeping child. He pressed their forehead gently, making a nightmare about snakes.

"That'll teach you to mess with another rattle snake, Bobby," he chuckled.

The boy's arm was still in a cast from the snake encounter that morning. Kozmotis melted into a shadow and appeared in the next house. Flowers and plants covered the entire room, making it seem more like a jungle. Once again, he pressed the child's head.

"Oh my, why on earth would you eat a wild berry?"

"Because I made them look delicious," a voice behind him said.

He turned and gasped, almost collapsing.

"Emily-Jane?"

She gave a small smile and hugged him.

"Father, you can't imagine how much I've missed you."

"I thought you were dead."

"Not dead, but changed. Would you like some help making your nightly rounds?"

Kozmotis tilted his head and nodded excitedly.


End file.
